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Classical music on video games is responsible for a huge rise in millennial listeners, Classic FM has said. While the genre seemed like it was for an older, highbrow crowd, recently released Rajar figures revealed the station broadcasts to 449,000 15-24-year-olds every week, and 1 million people under 35.

Composers and station directors have pointed to film scores and background music on video games as a potential gateway into classical music - and Classic FM has capitalised on this, producing a weekly video games music show and a film score programme which runs on Saturday nights.

Other reasons given for the popularity of classical music among young people include an increased awareness of mental health, and as a way to escape from the ever-increasing hustle and bustle of modern life.

Apps which help people discover new music such as Shazam and Spotify have also been credited with the rise.

Alexis Ffrench, a young composer who has frequently appeared on Classic FM, said: “They employ fresh, vibrant presenters such as Charlotte Hawkins, and also they've got some wonderful programmes such as High Score, one programme dedicated to computer game music.

"For many young people, their introduction to classical music is the film score and the computer game. Classic FM see that as a gateway into further exploration of the genre. That's proven hugely successful for them.

"Beyond all of that, there's a sense that Classic FM understand that classical music can be a genre for the everyman rather than a genre for the elite - it's no longer the case, classical music is something for everybody, Classic FM embrace that.”

He said the way people are discovering and listening to music is changing, explaining: "Young people want to listen to great music and it's a question of where they're finding that music. They play computer games, they watch music. People already enjoy classical music but they're not necessarily going to the hall and watching the symphonies. They're consuming classical music in their everyday pastimes. Classic FM has tapped into that. And that's driven part of the rise in listening.

As it’s a bit rainy outside, join me for music to lift your spirits from 3-5pm on @ClassicFM! A glorious 18 mins of Beethoven, the no2 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame Rachmaninov, plus my Young Classical Star the superb saxophonist @AFateyeva 🎶 pic.twitter.com/AjEWMndi4M

"They are also given immediate access to the track they like using apps like Shazam and they'll find the piece they like is a classical track - and then perhaps listen to Classic FM on the radio."

He listed some of his favourite examples of classical music in film and video games: "Composers who write for the big screen such as the amazing Hans Zimmer, who references Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ in ‘Dunkirk’ and Clint Mansell, who based his score for the ballet thriller ‘Black Swan’ on Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’ are deft at putting sweeping orchestral works in front of a new, young audience who are then motivated to seek out other similar works. In the world of video games, composers such as Jessica Curry, BAFTA winner for ‘Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture’ and Koji Kondo (‘Super Mario’ and ‘The Legend of Zelda’) have been very successful in attracting swathes of new listeners. It’s a pleasure to be part of this new movement for change!"

Sam Jackson, the Managing Editor of the station agreed, telling The Telegraph: “[Young people] have no qualms about listening to Bach or Beethoven - it’s to be enjoyed, not endured - and in an age of streaming, millennials encounter classical music not as something ‘niche’, but as content that appears on multiple playlists and across all forms of popular culture.

“The massive appeal of film and video game scores, is hugely important; also, feedback we receive at Classic FM suggests that, at a time when young people encounter increasing challenges around their mental health and well-being, classical music provides a welcome and much-needed oasis of calm, and is also a powerful aid in providing focus and relaxation.”